The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations

The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations Review

This book is filled with valuable insights contrasting the more traditional "command and control" organization (the spider) to the flatter "Community of Interest" driven organization (the starfish) observed as a trend in many successful businesses today. Much of this is driven by, and modeled after the global Internet taking advantage of the "Network Effect" which increases the value of the network with the addition of every new member.

I was able to draw a number of parallels between this body of work and the thinking presented by Clay Shirkey on the power of de-centralization on TED. He does a very nice job or presenting issues with the traditional Organizational Hierarchy, which is exclusionary in nature, and leaves a lot of productivity on the table when compared with Communities of Interest (COI's) as he observed in recent Social Networking.

In my current organization we are struggling with many of these concepts as we evolve from being "directory" driven to multiple intersecting COI's with "Catalysts" instead of commanders. These COI's are driven by Vision, Strategy, and Funding via various Boards and Councils at the Executive level of the Company. It's a wild ride and I'm really glad to be here. Traditional management is being redefined to provide infrastructure and empower the COI's while delivering on organizational imperatives, increasing productivity, and creating a sense of community for the individual contributor.

As with any shift in culture for a large organization, the real success will be measured in years not quarters. In my observation, the most difficult thing for the more traditional manager to learn is how to let go and trust the community (with some measure of chaos inherent) while acting as a "Catalyst" where appropriate. There will always be the case for a more heavy handed approach from management but we know very well how to do that already. What we are learning now is collaboration.

Though we are at the infancy of this process and blazing new trails, I have high hopes. We are clearly evolving toward a "hybrid organization" as outlined in the book, continually searching for that sweet spot that lies somewhere between "command and control" and complete decentralization.
After reading this one, I have a much better understanding of where we need to go as an organization and what my role will be in helping us get there. I now consider myself a member of the "Starfish Revolution" armed with a new vocabulary to talk "starfish" as we embrace a new style of management to lead successful hybrid organizations in the rapidly changing business world we are facing today.

The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations Feature

• ISBN13: 9781591841838
• Condition: New
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The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations Overview

If you cut off a spider’s head, it dies; if you cut off a starfish’s leg it grows a new one, and that leg can grow into an entirely new starfish. Traditional top-down organizations are like spiders, but now starfish organizations are changing the face of business and the world.

What’s the hidden power behind the success of Wikipedia, craigslist, and Skype? What do eBay and General Electric have in common with the abolitionist and women’s rights movements? What fundamental choice put General Motors and Toyota on vastly different paths?

Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom have discovered some unexpected answers, gripping stories, and a tapestry of unlikely connections. The Starfish and the Spider explores what happens when starfish take on spiders and reveals how established companies and institutions, from IBM to Intuit to the U.S. government, are also learning how to incorporate starfish principles to achieve success.

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